Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex is celebrating a new level in the number of homes they've been able to build or repair to give people a place to live.
Officials posted a new house number at the front of its ReStore on Friday that now reads 165, which represents the total number of affordable housing units built, restored, repaired, and financed through Habitat's programs.
In all, Habitat has built 89 homes, restored 39 affordable housing partner units, and performed critical repairs on another 37 homes.
Director of Enterprise at Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, Rick Young, says two years ago they started the repair program, and it's taken off, and now they're working to keep people in homes.
"There are all kinds of things we can do to help keep people in their homes. We know it's always better if you can keep somebody in their home," he says. "To go off to a retirement home, if they just need that little hand up, that's us. That's our crew; those are our people who are doing that stuff."
Young says this new number represents 'pure pride.'
"All this hard work that these guys put in between our truck drivers, between our volunteers, and our 300 volunteers in the community," he says. "Our crews go out and remove kitchens every single day of the week. That's money that generates houses and support to help keep people in houses."
Young calls the restoration of homes important too.
"We went in with one of our community sponsors, like CHC {Community Housing Corporation} or Windsor Homes Coalition, and what we did in there is go in and bring the house back up into their inventory. It was sitting dormant; they don't have enough people to get in there. We go in, fix it, put in new flooring, and put on new paint, and then they can put a new family in that home," he says.
The Habitat ReStore on Edinborough Street in Windsor sells donated new and gently used building materials, furniture, cabinetry, and appliances, with the proceeds directly funding Habitat's housing programs.